Shadow
by MidnightLillies
Summary: As Zelda goes throughout her perilous journey on the surface, in a sea of darkness and uncertainty, there is one person who will protect her no matter what: her companion and servant, Impa. An unbreakable bond forms between these two that will stretch over the course of a million lifetimes. Impa forever serves as Zelda's faithful shadow, protecting and loving her no matter what.


**Hey guys! I'm Haachi, and this is my very first LoZ fanfic! I'm super excited about this, and I hope everyone likes it. This does take place in Skyward Sword and does contain major spoilers, so if you haven't finished the game read on at your own risk!  
****Anywho, I really wanted to do something with Impa, because she's one of my favourite Legend of Zelda characters. Even though I do ship ZeldaxImpa, this is more of a mother-daughter kind of relationship that I wanted to depict. So anyway, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda, obviously. If I did, Groose would most likely be the main character. Just saying. **

* * *

**_~ Shadow ~_**

**_A Legend of Zelda fanfiction_**

**__**_Chapter 1  
_

_When the clouds will rage_

_And storms will race in,_

_but you will be safe in my arms._

_Rains will pour down, waves will crash all around, _

_But you will be safe in my_ _arms._

Oftentimes throughout my life I've gazed upon these temple walls with fondness as I recount the many ups and downs that have made up my memories, for they are my only companions now. I've lived out my days as a youthful woman and have grown old like everyone eventually does. It has been the destiny of my people for countless ages to be the shadows of others, and I have happily performed that duty. The Sheikah are known as servants, and a servant I always will be. A servant to the Goddess, to the Master Sword, to this temple, and to her.

Ah yes, she is the one who lives in my memories the most. The one I was destined to serve from the day I was born until the day I died. We are apart now, each fulfilling our separate duties, but I find myself thinking about her quite often as I guard this sacred place. She resides in the sky, far above the green earth as a reincarnation of the great Goddess, Hylia. Yes, she is Zelda.

From the first time I saw that girl I knew our fates were intertwined, creating an unbreakable bond. Even though we have yet to meet in this life, I still think of her with fondness. I have guarded her with my life ever since the beginning, and will continue to do so even in death. For that is my purpose.

One's purpose in life has always been an interesting concept to me. It is everyone's mission to find their purpose, their sole reason for existing. Whether it is to make a difference in one person's life or many lives, that is up to the individual. Even though it was predestined that I would serve as a protector of the Hylian Royal Family, I sometimes felt like I was lost in finding my true purpose, and that sense of misdirection and discontent was there, sleeping deep inside of me for a very long time. I was young and naïve then, and so naturally I just pushed it aside. But it was still there nonetheless.

I look around the temple, the soft sounds of birds chirping echoing gently throughout the cavernous room. It is always peaceful here, something my younger years seemed to have lacked. I faintly hear the soft rustling sounds of the lively forest surrounding the temple; the breeze rustling through the leaves, clear water trickling through streams, animals scuffling around in the lush grass. Yes, this place really does have a blissful quiet to it.

My fingers lightly run across the bracelet latched onto my right wrist, the intricate design of the metal cold against my fingertips. It brings whispers of the past, and yet at the same time it brings promise of a journey not yet begun. I smile; yes, this is my purpose now. To assist the reincarnation of the Goddess in fulfilling her destiny, even though I have grown old and weak. Destiny has an odd way of making old bonds new again, I find. But I have come to trust it; no matter where life leads me, I always find myself following its path with her by my side, and I welcome that.

My hand comes back down to rest in my lap as the sun shines more brightly through the open roof than before. I look up to see a beam of light forming from the heavens, its impenetrable light growing stronger and stronger with each passing second. _Ah, so she has arrived, _I think as the light slowly dims, leaving not a trace except for a figure lying peacefully on her back.

I walk toward her sleeping form as her crystal blue eyes gently flutter open, widening as she takes in her surroundings. Her long, golden hair ruffles against her back as she sits up, her hand coming up to rub her head softly before looking around and registering that she is not alone.

"What happened? Where am I…?" She asks, her soft voice groggy.

"I see you have arrived," I say, extending a hand to help her up. She takes it and stands slowly. "I have awaited your arrival for many years, Spirit Maiden."

She takes a moment to look around the temple before resting her eyes on me. "Who are you?"

I smile and nod once. "Ah, of course. I am a guardian of this place, and I have been chosen by the Goddess to aide you on your journey. The moment you descended from the clouds, you took the first step in fulfilling your destiny."

"Descended from the clouds? My destiny?" She says, confusion bright in her eyes.

"Don't worry, child," I say, my hand coming up to rest lightly on her shoulder. "All of the answers you seek will come to you in time. But for now," I gesture toward the door that leads into Faron Woods. "You must go forth and start your journey. Your companion that will accompany you is waiting just outside. She will explain what you must do."

I take her hand and pat it reassuringly. "The surface world is a strange and foreign place to you," I continue. "But trust in your guide and follow the path to your destiny."

She nods slowly after a moment, and I can only imagine how confused she must feel, but I remind myself that she is the only one who can put a stop to the evil that threatens the surface. I give her an encouraging smile as she takes a deep breath and walks toward the door leading into the forest.

"Good luck, Spirit Maiden Zelda," I call after her. "May the Goddess watch over and protect you on your journey."

* * *

The sun shines brightly in the late-morning sky as I lean against the wall of the temple, awaiting the Spirit Maiden, Zelda. The essence of the forest is all around me; a warm, clean breeze ruffles my neatly groomed hair, the sun beats down on my bare shoulders, and insects hum lazily as they bask in the sunshine.

The heavy stone door of the Sealed Temple groans with disuse as it is opened, and I step forward and straighten myself up; a golden blonde head pokes out from behind the door and the rest of Zelda follows a moment later, her blue eyes wide as she takes in all of the features of this new, unfamiliar world.

The temple door closes behind her and she takes a few tentative steps forward, her mouth slightly agape. Finally her eyes come to rest on me, and I give her a nod of greeting.

"Greetings, Zelda," I say with a small bow. "I have been expecting you. My name is Impa."

She smiles and comes closer, her upper body bending into a friendly bow. "It's nice to meet you, Impa," She says. "Could you explain to me what's going on? The old woman wasn't very clear…"

She looks troubled in a sort of childish way at this, and I can't help but chuckle. "Yes, of course. Come this way, and you will see the many marvels of the surface world."

We begin walking slowly, and I look up at the light canopy of trees that is becoming denser and denser with each step we take deeper into the forest. As we walk I can't help but remain close to her; it has become instinct. I smile at the way she stares huge-eyed at our surroundings like a child in a candy store.

"You look awestruck," I tease her, and she snaps out of some sort of daze to look at me sheepishly.

"I just never knew there was a whole other world under the clouds," She says. "Nor did I expect it to be so big!"

I nod and smile at her enthusiasm. "It certainly is, but I must caution you; we will be traveling throughout the surface as a part of your journey to fulfill your role as Spirit Maiden. It will be long and rough, but as your companion and servant I will give my life to protect you."

Her expression darkens as she takes in my words. "Why am I suddenly so important? I don't understand…"

"All of the answers will come in good time, Zelda," I say. "But our first step in achieving your ultimate goal is getting to Skyview Spring, which is located here in Faron Woods. By purifying your body in the Divine Springs located throughout the surface world, you will realize your full potential and fulfill your role in the fate of this world."

"But…why me?" She asks, and I lay a hand on her shoulder as our pace slows.

"It is simply your purpose," I reply. "Everyone must play a role in life, and this just happens to be yours."

She falls silent and our pace increases. I can feel the emotion coming off of her in waves as we continue under the canopy of the forest, and the air becomes chilly and damp.

After a moment I halt, holding my arm out to stop Zelda as well. My eyes narrow and I reach for a small yet deadly dagger hanging off of my belt and advance slowly toward a patch of leaves nestled into the grass. As I get closer, a large bud emerges from the growth, its carnivorous mouth opening to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth that are dripping with hunger.

Zelda gasps a little and I advance toward it, taking notice of its horizontally positioned mouth. It lunges for me, growling a bit, its stem quivering. With a fierce cry I lunge forward, slashing my dagger in a sideways cut and watch as the bud splits in half with a screech. It withers into the ground and vanishes, leaving nothing but the patch of leaves.

I sheath my small blade and turn back around to face Zelda, who looks up at me with wide eyes.

"W-what was that thing!?" She says, her eyes darting from my dagger to the patch of leaves and back again.

"A Deku Baba," I reply. "Very fearsome carnivorous plants. Whenever you see a growth of leaves like that, make sure to proceed with caution. Now then," I beckon to the path forward. "Shall we continue?"

She nods after a moment and we emerge from underneath the canopy to a path that branches off in two directions. To the left are more trees as the path goes deeper into the forest, and to the right is a steep hill covered in loose dirt. As I debate which way is a faster route to the temple, my attention turns to Zelda, who seems to be bent over, gazing curiously at a large red mushroom.

"Zelda?" I say as I walk up behind her. She cocks her head and pokes the mushroom's top, causing the soft surface to jiggle at her touch. She walks slowly around the mushroom, and as she does I see what has seemed to catch her attention; a small, penguin-like creature with a bud on its back is creeping stealthily around the other side of the mushroom, smartly avoiding her.

"Hm?" I crouch down to examine the creature more closely, and as I do it bumps into me, seemingly not noticing me until now. It gives a startled squeak and whirls around, its chubby little body shaking in fear.

"P-please, don't eat me! I promise I don't taste good, kwee!"

I blink a few times and my head tilts to the side too as the little thing just sits there, frozen in fear.

"We're not going to eat you," Zelda says as she appears behind the creature, causing him to give another squeak of fear and flop over onto his belly, the bud on his back opening up and a plant popping out to camouflage him.

She giggles at this ridiculous display and I can't help but grin a little too. Zelda pokes the little creature softly, causing it to shakily stand up, its bud closing and its eyes growing wide as it gazes at us.

"You're not going to eat me, kyuu?" It says in a squeaky voice, and when we both shake our heads it seems to relax a bit.

"Phew, you scared me, kwee! There have been so many monsters around lately I don't know who wants to make a snack out of me…"

He rights himself and gazes at me, his little eyes blinking rapidly. "My name's Machi, kwee kwee. What brings you to Faron Woods?"

"I'm Zelda and this is Impa," Zelda says with a bright smile. "Do you by any chance know how to get to Skyview Temple from here?"

He seems to think about this for a moment before answering. "Hmm…I don't know the way, kwee-koo. That area is infested with monsters! I try to stay clear from it, but the Kikwi Elder knows the way, kweep!"

"Can you take us to him?" I ask, and he nods eagerly. Zelda and I both straighten up and begin to follow him as he waddles quickly down the path and turns right, toward the hill of loose soil. He scrambles up clumsily and turns back to wait for us as we both sprint up the hill.

"He's just down here, kwee," Machi says as he continues down the path, his head constantly moving from side to side to watch out for monsters. We follow up past a waterfall and up a hill to a ledge, where a gap separates us from another platform. Machi takes off and manages to jump over to the other side and turns back to call to us.

"Use the rope there, koo-kwee," He calls, and I look up to see a strong-looking rope hanging from a tree branch. I beckon for Zelda to latch onto me as I reach out and grab the rope. She wraps her arms tight around my waist and I push off, the rope swinging across the gap and my feet finding solid ground on the other side.

Zelda lets go of me and rights herself, looking up at me and smiling. "Phew," She says before turning to face Machi again. He's wandered into the middle of the clearing to where a huge…something is lying on the ground.

I follow Zelda to where this big mass is, and Machi hops up onto its back and bounces for a moment. "Kwee, wake up Elder Bucha! Visitors, koo-weep!"

We both tilt our heads to the side as the giant lump stirs and slowly stands up, revealing itself to be a giant Kikwi. The bud on his back is considerably small compared to his body, and a long brown mustache flows from the sides of his tiny mouth.

"Kew kewww?" He says in a deep voice, his eyes blinking sleepily. He looks at us and then down at Machi, who has hopped back down onto the ground.

"Visitors, you say?" Bucha says. "Hmm…well, you don't look like monsters, kwee. In that case, welcome!"

Zelda giggles and approaches him, smiling up at him kindly. "Excuse me Mr. Elder, would you happen to know the way to Skyview Temple from here?"

"Ah, the Temple, kwee?" He ponders. "The fastest way is through the passage right behind me. Just follow that and you'll be there in no time, kew."

"Thank you," I say, beckoning for Zelda to follow me as I begin to make my way around the giant Kikwi. As we do he turns a little and calls after us.

"Be careful," He says. "There are a lot of monsters near the Temple, kwee-koo! Make sure you're prepared before you go."

"We will!" Zelda says, waving cheerfully at Bucha and Machi. "Thank you, Bucha!"

"Anytime. Ho ho ho." He says, flopping back over onto his belly, his bud opening to camouflage just a tiny amount of his body.

We make our way through the small opening in the rock behind Bucha and continue from there, finally emerging to see the entrance to the temple just up ahead.

"Ah, finally," I breathe a sigh of relief as we emerge into an open area that seems to be teeming with monsters. Bokoblins litter the area and the structure leading up to the temple, and I can't help but give a small groan of frustration. Then again, how could I expect that this journey would be easy?

I motion for Zelda to stay put and she obeys. I move toward the center of the clearing and some of the Bokoblins notice me, letting out their screeches and running for me stupidly. I remove my dagger and focus my attention on one of them, his club moving to block where he thinks I'll strike. I fake a swing and move the other way lightning-fast, watching as he falls back with the blow. My muscles tense as two more come at me from the back, but a backward slice takes care of them fairly quickly. Once they're all gone I wave my hand for Zelda to come forward.

"Wow, Impa!" She says. "That was amazing! Are you okay?"

I nod, slightly winded but completely fine otherwise. "Come on, we're almost there."

We head up the stairs and continue along the path to where a ledge just high enough for neither of us to reach sits. I kneel and cup my hands, and Zelda boosts herself up, then turns to hold her hand out to me. I take it and heave myself up onto the ledge, standing and brushing myself off before giving her a half grin. As we walk, I notice that Zelda seems to be coping with all of this quite well; she's always had a natural curiosity, and it shows as we continue on through the forest. She seems to be looking at the bright side of things, but I can still see something there in her eyes like a shadow of doubt, and I can't blame her, because I can feel it lurking deep inside of me as well.

* * *

Finally, Skyview Temple stands tall and proud in front of us; there's no doubt in mind as we approach the big stone door that the temple has been overrun by monsters, and this is where my duties really come into play. I must protect the Spirit Maiden as we reach the spring and make sure that we both get there in one piece. I know full well that there are evil beings who want to get their hands on Zelda, but I will protect her with my life. Failure to perform my duty is not an option.

The stone door is covered in moss as if it hasn't been used in many years, and I run my hand over the slippery surface to try and find something indicating how it's opened.

"Hmm…" I muse, my eyes narrowing at the withered stone surface of the door. The sound of grass rustling to my right catches my attention, and I look over to see Zelda examining some sort of stone sticking out of the ground. Her eyes narrow, her finger moving horizontally along the stone as if she's reading something.

"Impa! Try looking up!" She calls to me, and I look up to see a pink gem hanging from the ceiling. I nod and pull out a small bow, readying my shot and firing at the gem. It makes a little dinging sound and dims, and the stone door groans as it opens for us.

"Good work, Zelda," I praise her as she rejoins me. She smiles brightly and looks down into the depths of the dark temple.

"Ready?" I ask her. She nods. "What about you? Ready?"

I nod and look back toward the temple, and as I go to take a step toward the downward-leading stairs I feel something warm and soft slip into my hand. My gaze finds Zelda, and she's looking up at me with utmost vulnerability in her bright blue eyes.

"You're all I have now," She says simply, and I feel her hand squeeze mine. "My family, my friends…I'm far away from them now…"

I give her a reassuring smile. "Everything will be alright, Zelda. I'll keep you safe, no matter what."

She nods, and with that, we head into the temple.

* * *

**And that's the end of the first chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed it. By the way the transition between old Impa and young Impa was probably a little weird, and I apologize. I hope everyone understood what went on there. D: Anyway, don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think!**


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